Elongated strips of plastic material placed on the ground and wetted with water to decrease friction have been used as rudimentary backyard slides for years. In some cases, the plastic was secured to the ground and in other cases it was left unsecured. A variety of wetting techniques were used for supplying a more or less constant layer of water onto the upper surface of the material. As time passed, safety concerns dictated that the material be affixed more securely to the ground and that methods be employed for delivering a constant layer of water to the surface of the material.
A number of products evolved as specialty water slides manufactured for pool and amusement park use. These products typically featured a long slide extending down a hill or otherwise having the start of the slide elevated, and typically required pools, water filled areas and a relatively large area to function.
However, even as the products developed, there were a number of issues associated with conventional designs that created safety issues and detracted from the enjoyment of the slides. For example, many of the backyard slides were small and, when place in the yard, were angled slightly such that users who dived onto the slide would slide off of the lateral edge of the slide, thereby abruptly stopping in such a way that could cause permanent spinal cord injury, or resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia.
Moreover, although many product manufacturers provided wetting mechanisms as a feature of the slide, they footprint of the wetted area was uneven resulting in some areas with ponding or puddling water and other areas with no water at all. This discrepancy was magnified by the placement in a backyard having an uneven grassy surface. In these instances, when users dived onto the slide, they may have encountered a large splash when sliding through a puddle, but quickly realized that the thickness of the water acted to slow their progress across the slide, thereby detracting from the enjoyment. Moreover, a much more serious event occurred when the user encountered a dry spot on the slide causing the user's forward momentum to drive the body into the neck, thereby compressing the spinal cord, again potentially causing permanent spinal cord injury, quadriplegia or paraplegia.
There is a need, therefore, for a safe, entertaining water slide capable of keeping users on the longitudinal axis while sliding on the slide while assuring consistent, reliable distribution of water over the entire surface of the slide. In these respects, the water slide system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art.